Knoxville is the host of the 2017 SEC Softball Tournament.
Here’s a look at the standings with tiebreakers entering the final weekend of the regular season.
Here’s what the tournament bracket looks like.
Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics John Currie announced Thursdaythat Sam Winterbotham has been relieved of his duties as head men’s tennis coach, effective immediately.
Currie will lead an internal, four-person committee in a national search for Winterbotham’s replacement.
“Associate AD/tennis administrator Dara Worrell and I met with Sam this afternoon, and we came to the conclusion that it was best for him to step away from the program at this time,” Currie said. “I want to thank Sam for his 11 years of service to the University of Tennessee, which were highlighted by three SEC titles and an appearance in the NCAA team final.
“Associate head coach Chris Woodruff has agreed to serve as interim head coach and will accompany sophomore Timo Stodder to the singles tournament at the NCAA Championships later this month.”
A two-time SEC Coach of the Year, Winterbotham led the Volunteers to a 217-104 record during his tenure as head coach. Tennessee won SEC regular-season championships in 2010 and 2011 and captured the SEC Tournament title in 2010. That 2010 squad also reached the final of the NCAA Championships and was one of six Winterbotham-led UT teams that advanced to the Round of 16 or beyond.
Individually, Winterbotham coached one NCAA singles or doubles finalist every year from 2008-2011. In 2014, Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese won the NCAA Men’s Doubles Championship. Libietis was named the 2013 SEC Player of the Year, while John-Patrick Smith claimed that honor under Winterbotham’s tutelage in both 2010 and 2011. Six Vols coached by Winterbotham also went on to reach the top 200 in the ATP World Tour Rankings.
Winterbotham will receive a buyout of one year’s salary ($181,873) in monthly installments through June 30, 2018, which is the expiration date of his contract. Should he accept another job prior to that date, his buyout will be mitigated accordingly.
Randy Travis, who is celebrating his 58th birthday today (May 4), is still a pretty big deal.
In the last year alone, he’s been the focus of two epic shindigs.
But back in the 1990s—before anybody needed to be reminded who Randy Travis was—Randy decided he needed to step back from the grind of touring and recording music. That’s when he pursued his other dream: acting.
Enjoy this classic Randy Travis interview below.
Originally published in the April 12, 1994, issue of Country Weekly magazine. Story by
Randy Travis took a year-long break from his grueling country music schedule to make five movies—four of them westerns—but now says he’s recharged his musical batteries and has left the bright lights of Tinseltown for a triumphant return to Music City.
“Anybody, regardless of where they are, where they’re from or what they do for a living, dreams of being a cowboy once in a while,” the golden-voiced, three-time Grammy Award winner told Country Weekly in an exclusive interview.
“But music is my first love, and it will always be.”
After making nine albums since 1986, Randy tired of the country music grind and decided about a year ago to take time out from touring and recording to chase his dreams of starring in Western films. A year later, he’s notched five, big-budget movies with a constellation of Hollywood stars: Maverick with Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson, Dead Man’s Revenge with Bruce Dern, Frank and Jesse, The Legend of O.B. Taggart with Mickey Rooney, and At Risk, the only non-Western in the bunch.
Now that he’s got the “acting thing” out of the way, a newly inspired Randy returns to the forefront of country music this month with the release of his new album, This is Me.
So what does he say to all of his fans who think he retired? “They got that wrong. These films coming out this year, some in the theaters and some on TV, will show people what I’ve been doing.”
More often than not, what he’s been doing has involved pulling on a pair of chaps, strapping on a couple of six-guns and hopping up on a trusty stallion. Of the five movies that Randy shot, four of them are westerns.
“Anybody, regardless of where they are, where they’re from or what they do for a living, dreams of being a cowboy every once in a while,” Randy said.
His first taste of moviemaking came with a bit part in Young Guns. Blink and you’ll miss him, since most of his work ended up on the cutting room floor. But the acting bug bit.
“I’d been touring for about eight years and was burned out on that. It wasn’t the singing for an audience ‑ I loved that and always will. But I wanted to get off the road and stop waking up in a new town every day.”
His timing couldn’t have been better—following Clint Eastwood’s success with Unforgiven movie moguls put together one dusty shoot‑’em‑up after another. Randy was waiting.
“I’ve been practicing quick draw and target shooting and riding horses since I was a kid.”
Randy’s expertise in the cowboy way allowed him to help out his co-stars in handling guns. He also did all but one of his own stunts on the set of Frank and Jesse, most of them involving a horse.
In Deadman’s Revenge, airing April 15 at 9 p.m. ET on the USA Network, Randy plays Marshal Harriman, a lawman who can’t keep a ruthless land baron (played by Bruce Dern) from cheating everyone in town.
The big budget Maverick, due in theaters next month, stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner in a remake of the old TV show that features Randy in a cameo.
At Risk, the only non‑western in the bunch, takes on the tragic topic of AIDS. “It’s kind of an artsy‑type movie, made for the theater,” said Randy.
The Legend of O.B. Taggart, a feature film about a train robber who gets out of jail and goes after the loot he hid, co-stars Mickey Rooney and Larry Gatlin.
And of course, there’s Frank and Jesse, the big one for the fledgling actor.
He plays Cole Younger, a member of the notorious James/Younger gang who robbed and killed their way into infamy. “Cole was a rough character,” Randy says. “I read quite a bit about Cole and the James/Younger gang to prepare for the movie. I played him the way I thought he might have been.”
Not only will Randy’s fans have to get used to seeing their idol as a villain, they’ll also have to find him underneath a face full of hair. Cole Younger was a bearded man.
“I shaved it as soon as I finished the movie,” the once‑again clean‑cut performer said. “I never got used to it.”
Randy said even though the character of Cole Younger was as nasty as they come, acting the tough guy was a lot of fun. In some ways, it allowed him to follow in the footsteps of the man Randy considers to be the master, Clint Eastwood, who turns out to be a big fan of Randy’s music.
Randy spent just a speck of time on the set of Maverick but it was a speck worth spending, he says.
“The set was unbelievable,” he recalled. “I walked into that room and looked around and saw all these character actors I knew from the old westerns since I was a boy. I just stood there like a kid in a candy store.”
Along with all the fun, though, came some real work and Randy found his experience as a performer on a stage sometimes helped and sometimes didn’t.
“It’s totally different,” he says. “On live shows you get the automatic feedback from an audience, plus there’s no backing up.
Working in front of the camera, the only audience is people working alongside you and the camera, which you have to learn to ignore.
“On the other hand, working onstage makes you feel a lot more comfortable in front of a camera.”
Cutting an album has a few more similarities to moviemaking, Randy says. “Doing an album, the producer is sort of like the director on the set. He sits in the booth while I’m singing and gives me direction. If he thinks I’m approaching a line too hard or too soft, whatever, he directs me, plus he tells all the musicians what he wants.
“The biggest difference between Nashville and Hollywood is the pace. The music business seems totally sane compared to the movie business,” Randy explained.
“I knew exactly where I was going to be, how long I would be there and exactly what time the show would take place. In the movie business you can’t make schedules like that. You might get called and told to be there in 20 minutes.”
As much as Randy adapted to his new world of lights, cameras and action, he didn’t let the old world of guitars, lyrics and melody fade into the background. One film threw him together with country crooner Larry Gatlin.
As for Frank and Jesse, expect to hear a Randy Travis‑penned song on the soundtrack.
“Music always has been a priority for me,” he emphasized. “I see myself always working on albums -‑ as long as we can sell a few, as long as there’s a reason to keep making them.
“This is the best that I’ve felt about an album in quite some time,” he said. “My producer, Kyle Lehning, and I had a year to put it together, so we took the time in finding the right songs and, in the studio, doing the work we needed to do to make a strong album.
“We experimented a little production-wise. Things will sound a little different than most of the other albums we’ve done. In some cases there are productions that are a lot more rowdy than we’ve been used to doing.”
And while This Is Me is undeniably a Randy Travis album, with his distinct voice and styling, the singer has been diligent in keeping up with the Joneses (George division) as well as the Cyruses (Billy Ray type).
“I listen to country radio all the time,” he says. “I’m not one of those who sings country and listens to something else.” So he’s well aware of the changes that have been churning through Nashville, even in the past year.
“When I started in the business, every label that signed anybody tried to record traditional country music,” he notes. “A few years went past, and kind of like they did in the 70s, they started experimenting and stepped out of those bounds and went to the pop‑sounding music.”
“ Now there’s a huge variety of music that’s being played on country radio ‑ a lot of it good, a lot not so good.”
“I look at movies the same way I look for a song. It has to be something I like,” he explains.
“At the same time, at the position that I’m in right now, I can’t get the best scripts and work the way Mel Gibson can. I’m at a beginning point. It’s not to say that I have to take anything that’s offered, because I won’t do that. But I can’t be quite as choosy as a Mel Gibson.”
He doesn’t expect to be another Mel Gibson either. “I want to be a competent actor and be offered some good parts and some really good movies that the public receives well. I don’t see myself winning any awards.
“I went after the acting because it’s something I want to do. I kind of wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”
All the script offers headed his way indicate he proved something to somebody.
“In the beginning I hated to watch myself. I’d see everything that was wrong instead of what was right,” he says. “I’m my own worst critic.” And hey, if it doesn’t work out then he always has that singing thing to fall back on.
And, hey, if it doesn’t work out, then he always has that acting thing to fall back on.
Buckingham Palace announced today that 95 year old Prince Philip will retire from royal public duties, while his wife, Queen Elizabeth, will continue with her royal engagements as usual. MORE
By Jimmy Hyams
Sam Winterbotham, who led the Tennessee men’s tennis team to two SEC Championships and one NCAA finals berth, has parted ways with the university after 11 seasons with one year remaining on his contract, according to sources.
Winterbotham was scheduled to meet with newly hired athletic director John Currie and associate athletic director Dara Worrell, who oversees tennis, today around 3 p.m.
Chris Woodruff, UT assistant or associate men’s coach since 2002, was named interim head coach, sources said. Woodruff, a Knoxville native, won the 1993 NCAA singles championship, the only Vol to accomplish that feat.
Winterbotham, 43, had one year left on a contract that paid him $180,000, with incentives that could have exceeded $200,000. That ranks among the top half of the SEC among tennis coaches.
Winterbotham, hired from Colorado in 2006, had a 217-104 record at Tennessee. In 2010-11, his teams went 21-1 in SEC play.
However, the past two seasons, the program has slipped significantly. In SEC play, UT was 0-12 last year and 3-9 this year (13-14 overall). The Vols won a first-round match in the SEC tournament each of the past two years before being eliminated.
Winterbotham, a native of England, played collegiately at Oklahoma Christian (1996-99) where he was a four-time NAIA All-American and ranked No. 1 in the NAIA. He was also his conference player of the year in soccer in 1999.
He was an assistant at Baylor before taking over at Colorado (2002-06). Many of the players he recruited at Baylor helped the Bears win the 2004 national title.
Winterbotham is the lone UT coach to win back-to-back SEC titles (2010-11) in men’s tennis. He also won one SEC Tournament title (2010). He coached 18 All-Americans and 26 All-SEC players. Three singles players and three doubles teams were ranked No. 1 in the nation.
He was named SEC coach of the year in 2008 and 2010 and ITA national coach of the year in 2013. His doubles team of Hunter Reese and Mikelis Libietis won the school’s second NCAA doubles title in 2014. That duo also won the Knoxville Challenger in 2014.
He had two singles players reach the NCAA final and two other doubles team make it to the title match.
Winterbotham’s focus seemed to be diverted several years ago when one of his players, Sean Karl died of cancer Nov. 17, 2014. UT’s indoor center court is named after Karl.
Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all
Let the festivities begin on May 5—it’s time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday to commemorate the Mexican army’s victory over the French in 1862. In addition to partaking in traditional Mexican food and libations, enjoy the holiday with our Texas Country/Red Dirt playlist that features cinco of our favorite odes to Mexico.
Listen to our “Cinco de Songo” playlist on your preferred music service!
Spotify – Apple Music
Vols head coach Butch Jones was a guest on SportsTalk recently, with Jimmy Hyams and Vince Ferrara, to discuss going up to the NFL Draft in Philadelphia with Derek Barnett. He reflected on Barnett’s time at UT and talked about the other Vols in the draft.
Vols coach Butch Jones / Credit: Joe Faraoni – ESPN Images
By WNML Staff
Get to know new Tennessee football cornerback, grad transfer from Louisville, Shaq Wiggins (R-Sr., 5’10, 173) in these videos and interviews below.
Wiggins, was a consensus 4-star prospect in the 2013 signing class. He played his freshman season with Georgia, sat out a year when transferring to Louisville, where he played two seasons before recently announcing his plans to transfer to Tennessee for his final year of eligibility.
Our Josh Ward interviewed Wiggins one-on-one here on Sports Radio WNML shortly after his decision. You’ll find a highlight tape and some video interviews as well below.
Let’s see if you can pick-up on a theme in many of his interviews. Enjoy!
Deon Grant knew the importance of the Tennessee-Florida game in 1998.
Both teams were ranked in the top 10, Florida No. 2 and Tennessee No. 6.
It was a game not only with SEC importance but national implications.
“We said this game was going to make our season if we were going to have the opportunity to go all the way or it was going to end right there,’’ said Grant, an All-American safety for the Vols.
“So our mentality was to pull everything out of the tank – whether you had cramps or were injured – whatever it may be. You will not miss this game and you will finish this game.’’
In the second half, Grant made one of the iconic plays in Tennessee history. As a Florida receiver streaked behind the secondary, Grant came out of nowhere to leap from behind and snare a one-handed interception.
It helped spark the Vols to a 20-17 overtime win over the Gators as a home record crowd of 107,653 rocked Neyland Stadium. UT went on to win its first national championship as recognized by AP or UPI since 1951.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be in that area,’’ said Grant, who recorded 14 interceptions during his UT career, tied for fifth all-time. “I was actually on the other side of the field, but I read the quarterback and set him up.’’
Grant said it was a “line drive’’ pass because the defensive back had been beat. “it gave me an opportunity to come over and snag the ball.’’
One-handed interceptions weren’t foreign to Grant, who made them in a routine basis in high school at Augusta, Ga.
“We did a lot of that in high school,’’ Grant said. “We used to see how many one-handed catches I could come down with. It was natural.’’
Grant will be the celebrity guest Friday at the annual Phillip Fulmer Golf Classic at Avalon. The tournament has raised over $1 million for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
“I’m going to enjoy it,’’ said Grant, who led the nation with nine picks in 1999, including three in one game. “I’m going to soak up every moment like I just got drafted.’’
Is Grant a good golfer?
“I should be a great golfer, seeing as how I worked at the Masters for three or four years in high school,’’ Grant said. “But I don’t get on the golf course as much as I’d like.’’
Grant described his experience of working at the Masters as “unbelievable.’’ Grant said he was there when Tiger Woods won his first Green Jacket, 1997.
“I actually served his table,’’ Grant said.
Grant said he was around wealthy people at the Masters and wanted to make a mark financially so his mother could go to a restaurant or golf event or basketball game and not worry about how much money she was spending.
Grant was able to do that, earning millions in the NFL. He was drafted in the second round by the Carolina Panthers (2000-03) then played for Jacksonville (2004-06), Seattle (2007-09) and the New York Giants (2010-11) where he won a Super Bowl.
Not many players can claim both a national championship and a Super Bowl title.
“The national championship was unbelievable because I know how had it is and you don’t have that many chances to get to the national championship,’’ Grant said.
Beating a power like Florida State with an explosive player like Peter Warrick made the title all the more satisfying, Grant said.
“But you know the Super Bowl, that’s something you work hard for and you finally get that reward that a lot of people just don’t experience,’’ Grant said.
How would Grant compare UT fans to Giants’ fans?
“I love my Giants,’’ he said, “but to be honest with you, there is no comparison. There’s no comparison when you’re talking about 100,000-plus in a stadium versus 67,000 … I don’t even know how much New York fits. It’s no comparison.
“When I finally got drafted by Carolina and played my first game, I was excited to be in an NFL uniform. But I was like, `Is this it?’ because I was so spoiled from college. But the experience of playing in a market like New York, it was unbelievable also.’’
Grant keeps his national championship and Super Bowl rings in a safe place, wearing them only when he makes certain public appearances.
With the NFL draft recently completed, Grant remembered what it was like for him back in 2000.
“It was nail biting because I was projected to go high first-round,’’ Grant said.
“When I was finally called in that second round, I was excited and just ready to get to camp and prove to them that they missed out by waiting until the second round.’’
Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all
Good Evening, Big Orange Fans!
I am writing this update during a (hopefully!) short flight delay as I connect in Charlotte on my way back from Jacksonville and my first SEC AD’s meeting. Over the last two days, Commissioner Sankey led us in robust discussions about lots of “routine” topics including, but certainly not limited to athletic and academic performance of our teams, fan experience, officiating and future football schedules.
It was great to be able to walk into the room as your new Tennessee athletics director and already have longtime relationships with most of the SEC staff and my fellow ADs, although, interestingly, five of our 14 institutions have a different AD than last year.
As members of the leading conference in intercollegiate athletics, we all recognize the honor of representing both our institutions and this league – and we understand the importance of close collaboration and collegiality to ensure the continued excellence and development of the Southeastern Conference. I’m looking forward to hearing that S-E-C chant at our football opener in Atlanta vs. Georgia Tech September 4th!
Before we move on to the rest of today’s updates, let’s flash back to two clutch, grand-slam moments from Tennessee baseball and softball this past weekend.
First, on Saturday at Vanderbilt, our baseball team was trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning until senior Jordan Rodgers delivered a go-ahead grand slam to put the Vols on top, 5-3. We tacked on four more runs in the ninth to bring the final score to 9-3 and even the series 1-1. I watched it live on the SEC Network with some good friends in Knoxville and was proud of the repeated TV crowd shots of the many loud and proud Big Orange fans supporting the Vols in Nashville.
Then on Sunday, it was fun to be among a sun-baked Sherri Parker Lee Stadium record crowd of 2,239. Tennessee faced a 1-0 deficit to No. 1-ranked Florida in the bottom of the fifth inning when senior outfielder Megan Geer blasted a grand slam that sent the stadium into a frenzy and put us on top for good as we went on to defeat the Gators, 5-1. Last weekend’s Florida softball series also marked the debut of our new section of ADA-compliant bleachers in right-centerfield—which enabled us to set a three-game series school record with a total attendance of 6,670—and I encourage fans to take advantage of that space during next week’s SEC Tournament (and a potential home NCAA Regional as well). Good luck to Tennessee softball in College Station this weekend as we faced the sixth-ranked Aggies.
CONGRATS TO COACH OJEDA AND OUR WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM
First-year women’s tennis head coach and VFL Alison Ojeda and her team gathered last night for an NCAA Selection Show party and were excited to see Tennessee pop up on the screen as having earned a berth in the 2017 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships. Led by All-SEC senior Brittany Lindl, Tennessee will open play Friday, May 12, against Big South Conference champion Winthrop at Duke. Congratulations to Coach Ojeda for leading our Tennessee women back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014!
From an individual standpoint, Lindl qualified to compete in the NCAA Women’s Singles Championships in Athens, Ga. On the men’s side, sophomore Timo Stodder earned a berth in the NCAA Singles Championship in Athens as well. Both 64-player draws will be announced May 23. This marks the national championships debut for both Brittany and Timo!
Achieving NCAA postseason play should never be taken for granted, but for 18 years—every season in her career at Tennessee—that’s exactly where women’s head golf coach Judi Pavon has led her squad! We wish our team the best of luck as it embarks to Athens, Ga., for the NCAA Regionals May 8-10.
National acclaim is mounting for our junior sprinter Christian Coleman. In case you missed it on Sportscenter Monday night, or on Twitter—where it elicited responses from personalities such as DeAngelo Hall, Lolo Jones and ESPN broadcaster Mark Jones—you should check out this video of Christian running a laser-timed 40-yard dash. I won’t give a spoiler with his time, but trust me… it’s worth watching. Just don’t blink. Hats off to Link Hudson and our talented VFL Films team for helping tell Christian’s story in a cool way.
Christian is a candidate to become Tennessee’s first winner of the prestigious Bowerman Award, which is presented by the USTFCCCA and has been described as the track & field equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. If you’d had the pleasure of meeting Christian, he’s an easy guy to cheer for. I’m proud of the way he carries himself and represents the University of Tennessee.
Our track & field teams will be in action all day this Saturday, hosting the Tennessee Challenge at Tom Black Track, before traveling to South Carolina for the SEC Championships May 11-13.
This past Monday, future UT freshmen experienced extraordinary collaboration between multiple campus units (admissions, alumni affairs and university communications) and athletics, as the Ray & Lucy Hand Digital Studio hosted a compelling and unique “Declaration Day,” live stream. It was very much like a National Signing Day show for students (not student-athletes) who have chosen to attend the University of Tennessee.
The first-of-its-kind Declaration Day video stream lasted for one hour and is archived and viewable online. That hour was filled with inspiring stories and also featured guest appearances by football players Joshua Dobbs, Trey Smith and men’s basketball player Kyle Alexander.
As Chancellor Davenport prepares to welcome her first class of new Tennessee Volunteers, we salute Associate Provost for Enrollment Management Kari Alldredge and staff for securing one of the deepest and most academically gifted classes in UT history!
With the 2017 football season approaching, a number of fans have asked us about the media reports of construction delays at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, site of our season-opener against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Monday night, Sept 4.
Gary Stokan, the president and CEO of Peach Bowl, Inc., which is based in Atlanta and is producing the game, checks in regularly and assures me that the stadium will absolutely be ready to host not just our game but and the Alabama-Florida State game two days prior, as well as an Atlanta Falcons exhibition game in late August. I can’t wait to join the Big Orange faithful to watch the Vols play in what projects to be one of the finest stadiums in the world. Stay tuned for more updates as warranted.
Our allotment includes 25,000 tickets. Tennessee season-ticket holders may visit AllVols.com to request tickets from May 16-31. Following that request period, any remaining tickets available from the UT allotment will go on sale to the public starting June 15.
Thursday night, I invite you to join me at Lindsey Nelson Stadium as our baseball Vols host 14th-ranked Arkansas in the first of a three-game series. After last night’s 9-2 win over ETSU, Coach Serrano’s team has now won four of its last five games, a stretch that began on Sunday, April 23, with a big win at 20th-ranked Texas A&M. Game times this week vs. the Razorbacks are 7 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m.Saturday. Thursday and Saturday’s games will be televised nationally on the SEC Network, with Friday’s game streamed on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.
And Congratulations to junior pitcher Eric Freeman, who was selected this week as the male recipient of the 2016-17 Brad Davis SEC Community Service Leader of the Year award by a committee of faculty athletics representatives from around the league. The Kinesiology major will receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by the SEC.
Please join me in wishing best of luck to Tennessee Rowing, as we host the Big 12 Championships on beautiful Melton Hill Lake May 13-14. You can click here to read more about the event and how Tennessee and fellow SEC school Alabama compete alongside five Big 12 teams as well as Old Dominion for the title and automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Championships.
Finally, UT students and student-athletes are right in the middle of exams, so let’s all wish them the best of luck and salute our outstanding faculty who will spend their nights and weekend compiling final grades in time for graduation.
Thanks for the role you play in making Tennessee such a special place and for positively impacting the experiences of our incredible student-athletes. Remember I appreciate all the comments or ideas you’d like to share with me, which you can submit thought our “Hey John” portal here.
